The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has called for an end to the inhumane condition of detainees in Nigeria.

In a statement, the Country Rapporteur on Human Rights in Nigeria, Commissioner Solomon Dersso urged the Federal Government to conduct an independent investigation into the conditions under which detained persons are held.

The ACHPR has also called for accountability for any inhumane treatment such persons are subjected to as well as verify that Nigeria’s detention facilities meet standards that uphold detainees’ dignity and health.

The statement follows reported detention and the mistreatment of detained persons, including minors, who are facing treason charges related to their participation in protests held in August.

The Commission stated that it has received various reports during the past weeks indicating that as many as 76 people, including children as young as 14 years old, have been detained, under conditions that do not meet minimum standards of human dignity and care in Nigeria.

The statement said: “The African Commission is alarmed by reports that those detained, including the minors, have endured inhumane conditions for an extended period of time with little regard to their due process rights.

Such conditions of detention may amount to violation of Article 5 of the African Charter and the right to due process of the law guaranteed under Article 7 of the African Charter.